luxury house for sale Blejești, Romania

Located at the crossroads of the road where, in the old days, the Bucharest-Craiova stagecoach passed, Blejesti is an ancient settlement, the area being continuously inhabited since the times of the Dacians. The village of today is situated on a part of the former Beloaica estate of Elena Mavrocordat, a domain that, in its time, spanned more than 14,000 hectares. The ancient history of the area is reflected in the architectural remnants preserved to this day, and among these, the Voinea Mansion is one of the most remarkable. The mansion was the country residence of Dumitru Voinea in the former Vlaşca County. The building, with relatively large dimensions, was constructed in 1890. By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, it became a common practice for wealthy families across the country to build town houses in the eclectic – neo-Romanian style in the localities where they owned estates. Originally, the mansion belonged to the property held by the brothers Constantin and Grigore P. Olănescu in Blejesti and was later acquired by Dumitru Voinea, an industrialist who owned two factories in Bucharest and Brașov by the end of the first quarter of the last century. The mansion, resembling a villa with relatively large dimensions, with a ground floor and an upper floor, has its main entrance on the northern side, at the base of a hexagonal tower with asymmetric sides. The entrance, with a semicircular arch and two columns, is flanked on either side by two openings also with semicircular arches, all marked by a cornice that follows the same shape. The rhythmic pattern of the northern façade is created by the light openings, three on each level, framed with decorative geometric elements made of straight, bent, and curved lines, which are also found on the right side of the southern façade. On the southern side, there is a tower with a gazebo, which recalls the neo-Romanian style, and access was either through a massive staircase placed on the left side, or directly from the upper floor, while in the central area there was an entrance leading down to the cellar. The lateral staircase is protected by a sheet metal canopy, which is part of the roof, supported by a double wooden console. Currently, the openings on the three sides of the gazebo, as well as the exterior access path, are closed with windows fixed in metal frames. This component of the building served as a viewpoint overlooking the garden surrounding the mansion and the valley of the Glavacioc River, as well as the nearby forest. The upper part of the building is outlined by a profiled cornice, and the construction is topped by a high, four-sided roof made of sheet metal. The mansion has a built area of 604 square meters and sits on a 3-hectare plot of land, which also houses a series of annexes, many of which were added later, after nationalization. After the property passed into state ownership, the mansion served various purposes, the last of which was as the headquarters of the former Blejești Agricultural Cooperative (IAS). In the former annexes, some recently renovated and others still being renovated, a small farm is currently operating. The mansion is classified as a historic monument of class B, it is in relatively good preservation, and it holds immense potential to be transformed into an exceptional private residence or, why not, it could be used for a development in the fields of tourism, events, or medical care.